Dying WWE legend won’t stand trial for murder

After a career of high flying and exciting matches in the WWE, Hall of Famer Jimmy Superfly Snuka’s story is ending in an ugly way.

Jimmy Superfly was quite possible the first ever great high flyer in professional wrestling. The peak of his career was right at the WWF was being created and launching Wrestle Mania.

He is most famous for a match he actually lost. In 1982 at Madison Square Garden, Snuka lost yet another championship match against the title holder at the time, Bob Backlund. Superfly leapt from the top of a steel cage, creating an iconic image that would stay with the WWF, and eventually WWE, for decades.

However, 34 years later, Snuka’s life is about to come to a sad and tragic ending. After a career of jumping off high objects and landing on his head, it is no surprise he has damaged his brain. Currently living in hospice care, his doctors have stated that he only has six months at most to live.

Trying to spend his last few months peacefully will not be his fate though. Prosecutors are still pursuing a 30+ year old murder case against Jimmy.

They claim he murdered his girlfriend in 1983, at the height of his career. According to the reports from the prosecution, they are pursuing “third-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter over the death of Nancy Argentino.”

Case documents state she was sent to the hospital struggling to breathe and spitting up liquid after a series of blows. She eventually died the next day. Superfly is alleged to have stayed in the hotel room with her the night before and left on his own.

He has denied all allegations, including in his autobiography stating that he never hit her. With the charges ramping up again this year his doctor’s stated that he was mentally incompetent at a hearing in June.

Now his family and the lawyers are battling back and forth, similar to his great matches, to decide his fate. One side claiming he has mental issues and is dying, so leave him alone. The other trying to close a murder case, while stating he is faking dementia.

His wife tells a story of how he still panics thinking he is late for matches, “the family struggles to keep him from leaving home during bouts of psychosis in which he thinks he is late for a WWE wrestling match.”

As always justice should win out, but it is likely that the truth will never truly be known. For now we can just remember his great wrestling career and that iconic leap.